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new l)dnip$blre In tbe Struggle 
for Tnaependence 




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NEW HAMPSHIRE 

IN THE ^^ ^ 

STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE 



ADDRESS 

DELIX'ERED BEFORE THE 

NEW HAMPSHIRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

FEBRUARY 10, 1904 

BY 

Henry M. Baker 



CONCORD, N. H. 
THE RUMFORD PRESS 

1905 



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Gift 
Author 
(.Person) 

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NEW HAMPSHIRE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR 
INDEPENDENCE. 



New Hampshire is small in extent but great in achievement. 
Its domain covers only 9,305 square miles. Its length is about 
170 miles with an average width of nearly 55 miles. It is 
diversified by many hills, mountains, valleys, lakes and rivers 
whose beauty and charm are acknowledged by all lovers of the 
peaceful and picturesque in nature. Its cities and villages are 
busy hives of industry and homes of comfort and joy. Its citizens 
are thrifty, energetic, honest, patriotic and religious. Schools 
of all grades are maintained and illiteracy is a disgrace. Only 
about one per cent, of the native population is unable to read 
and write. Temples of worship adorn the country and city 
alike. Piety, reverence for law and authority, the recognition 
of personal rights and obligations and self-respect, prevail. 
These are inheritances from the sturdy settlers of the state 
who, building their homes upon the ever-advancing frontier, 
reclaimed their farms from the primeval forest. They led inde- 
pendent lives but, by combination when necessary and patriotic 
insistence at all times, they resisted oppression, secured free- 
dom and established self-government in the new world for 
themselves and for us. 

Settlements were made at Odiorne's Point near Portsmouth 
and at Dover in the year 1623. It is probable that the former 
antedated the latter by a few weeks but the latter became per- 
manent and ripened into a prosperous city. The first meeting 
house in the colony was erected at Dover. In 1665 it was 
provided with a bell. Prior to that date the people had been 
summoned to worship by the beating of a drum. There also 
the first sawmill and the first corn mill in New England were 
erected. 

The settlement of New Hampshire was impeded by conflict- 
ing claims of title. Massachusetts as early as 1633 claimed 
that her patent had priority over the grant in 1622 to Gorges 



and Mason and that her jurisdiction extended over nearly all 
the territory to which they asserted title. In 1629 Gorges and 
Mason divided their grant, which included the land between 
the Merrimack and Kennebec Rivers, — Mason taking the sec- 
tion known as New Hampshire and Gorges the territory east of 
the Piscataqua. Six years later, after earnest endeavors to 
colonize New Hampshire under his title. Mason died, leaving 
heirs too young to enforce promptly their inherited rights. 
Meanwhile the New Hampshire colonists were not harmonious 
and the authorities of Massachusetts, quick to recognize the 
opportunity, by much persuasion and many promises secured 
their consent to a union with the elder colony, which continued 
until 1679, when the king, upon the petition of Robert Tufton 
Mason, grandson of Capt. John Mason, the original grantee, 
■decided that the grant to Gorges and Mason was valid and 
hence that New Hampshire was an independent colony and 
should have a government as a royal province distinct from 
Massachusetts, yet until 1741 the same governor administered 
the affairs of both colonies. That year Benning Wentworth 
was appointed governor of New Hampshire and henceforth the 
government of the two colonies was distinct. 

During the nearly 40 years that New Hampshire was united 
with Massachusetts no new towns were incorporated, and the 
old ones remained so nearly stationary in population that when 
writs for the election of assemblymen were issued in 1680 there 
were only 209 qualified voters in the province. 

The Assembly met promptly and proceeded to frame a series 
of laws for their government. They declared 16 crimes pun- 
ishable by death and 21 by imprisonment. Among the former 
were idolatry, blasphemy, witchcraft, cursing parents and re- 
bellion against parents; and among the latter were swearing, 
profaning the Lord's day, contempt of God's word or ministers, 
lying, burning or breaking down fences and drunkenness. 

The form of government established at the beginning of 
their independent colonial existence, consisting of a president, 
or governor, and a council, each appointed by the crown, and 
an Assembly elected by the people, continued until superseded 
by the Provincial Congresses which assumed control of public 



affairs, when Governor Wentvvorth abandoned the province in 

^775- 

The early settlers of New Hantipshire treated the Indians 

with kindness and respect, but as the land and rivers were 
more and more occupied and devoted to private ownership cur- 
tailing the fishing and hunting privileges of the Indians, ques- 
tions of individual and collective rights arose, which culmi- 
nated in bbody contiicts resulting in the extension of the 
colony and also in the increased hatred of the colonists. 
Under these conditions the Indians fell an easy prey to the 
wiles of the Frsnch who incited them to attack the settlements 
at Dover and elsewhere and for years the colony was in excite- 
ment and under arms. 

The colonists suffered severely during the French and In- 
dian wars but their courage and zeal were equal to any demand 
upon them. 

The expedition which captured Louisburg, June 17, 1745, 
was planned by Vaughan, a New Hampshire man, and on land 
was entirely executed by the troops of New England. Early 
in its siege Vaughan suggested and executed the dragging of 
the heavy cannon across a morass and the mounting of them in 
batteries advantageously situated. At the head of a detach- 
ment of New Hampshire troops he captured and burned a 
large quantity of stores in warehouses northeast of the harbor. 
They made a rapid fire with such dense smoke that the French 
abandoned their grand battery located near by which he, find- 
ing unoccupied the next morning, took possession of and wrote 
General Pepperell as follows : 

May it please your honor to be informed that by the grace 
of God and the courage of 13 men, I entered the royal battery 
about 9 o'clock and am waiting for a reinforcement and a flag. 

The surrender of the city soon followed but under the treaty 
between France and Great Britain it was restored to the 
French to be recaptured in 1758 by Admiral Boscawen and 
General Amherst. 

By participation in England's wars with France and by fre- 
quent conflicts with the Indians the colonists became veteran 
fighters. They were accustomed to danger and skilled not 



6 

only in Indian strategy but in all the arts then pertaining to 
civilized warfare. By loyal service to the crown and in defense 
of their homes from savage foes they were unconsciously fitted 
to maintain their liberties against the encroachments of king 
and parliament. The exigencies of the times had not only pre- 
pared them to resist force by force but had taught them to legis- 
late and to combine for the common defense. For many years 
Massachusetts and New Hampshire had deliberated with each 
other in times of emergency and danger and had cooperated for 
their general welfare. Occasionally other of the colonies 
had been associated with them in offensive or defensive war- 
fare but the first general meeting or congress of the colonies 
assembled at Albany, June 19, 1754. Delegates were present 
from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecti- 
cut, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The ostensible 
object of the congress was to treat with the Indian tribes 
known as the Six Nations and to secure an abiding peace 
with them. They were the most formidable combination ever 
made by the red men and during the Revolution harassed the 
colonists until subdued by General Sullivan. 

This congress, after a general interchange of opinion, 
appointed a committee of one from each colony to formulate a 
plan of union. They reported in favor of an enactment by 
parliament which should authorize a grand council to be 
chosen by the legislatures of the several colonies but having a 
president appointed by the crown with power to veto the acts 
of the council. 

The council was to enact general laws, apportion quotas of 
men and money to be raised by each colony, determine the 
location and erection of forts, regulate the operations of 
armies and devise all measures for the common defense and 
safety. 

This plan for the union of the colonies was adopted by the 
delegates July 4, 1754, just 22 years before the Declaration of 
Independence. 

Benjamin Franklin was the only one of these delegates who 
was also a member of the Continental Congress, which 
declared the colonies free and independent. The plan of 



union submitted by them was rejected by the colonies because 
it conceded too much power to the king, and by the king 
because it gave too much power to the assemblies of the peo- 
ple. Though the proposed union had failed the joint meeting 
of so many of the colonies was fortunate and instructive. 

Events soon to transpire affecting all the colonists would 
demand their united opposition and the meeting at Albany 
had taught them that union was possible and must be accom- 
plished. The God of the nations was preparing the way for a 
government of the people, by the people and for the people. 

The wars with France had been expensive and Great Britain 
finding her public debt greatly increased recognized the neces- 
sity for enlarged revenue. She naturally thought her prosper- 
ous colonies in North America, who were able to plan and 
execute such expeditions as that against Louisburg, were able 
to help bear the burdens occasioned by those years of con- 
flict. It is probable that the colonies would not have objected 
to bearing their just share of the national burdens had they 
been accorded a proportionate voice and vote in the home par- 
liament, but as independent, yet loyal subjects of the crown, 
they demanded representation as a concurrent requisite to 
taxation. This the crown refused and attempted to enforce 
the collection of the taxes it levied. 

It began by restricting the trade of the colonies with the 
West India Islands but that was of little profit as the colonists 
decided to consume other goods than those in which their 
trade was interdicted. Then followed the notorious Stamp 
Act, and George Meserve, at that time in England but a native 
of New Hampshire, was appointed the agent to distribute the 
stamps in that colony. In the debates in parliament those 
colonists who opposed taxation were termed " Sons of Lib- 
erty," an appellation which struck a popular chord in America 
and was adopted by numerous patriotic associations in every 
colony. The society at Portsmouth comprised almost the 
entire population and compelled Mr. Meserve to resign his 
commission before they would permit him to come ashore. 
The stamps entrusted to him were never landed in New Hamp- 
shire but were taken to Boston on the ship which brought them. 



Many citizens of Portsmouth and vicinity attended an 
emblematic funeral of the Goddess of Liberty and followed in 
procession to the cemetery, where she was lowered into a 
grave, but, just as the earth was about to cover her, one of the 
Sons of Liberty announced that she yet breathed. She was 
raised and, with Meserve's commission and instructions, mount- 
ed on a sword, was carried in triumph throughout the town. 

This was followed by an attempt upon the part of the loyal- 
ists to close the courts upon the allegation that they did not 
comply with the requirements of the Stamp Act. Their 
endeavors were quickly suppressed and were not renewed in 
New Hampshire. 

On the 25th of June, 1774, 27 chests of tea, subject to duty 
under a recent act of parliament, were landed and stored in the 
custom house at Portsmouth. The people had no knowledge 
of this transaction until it was accomplished. 

A town meeting was held on the second day after, and a 
committee was appointed to guard the tea and to protect 
Edward Parry, its consignee, from insult. The committee 
informed him of the popular feeling on the subject and against 
him, and he agreed to re-ship the tea, which he did after paying 
the duty on it then due as the tea had been landed. It was 
shipped in its original packages to Halifax. A committee was 
selected to prevent any further importation or landing of tea, 
and the people entered into an agreement that neither they nor 
their families should " import, sell, purchase, or consume " an)'^ 
teas subject to tax. 

In the September following, 30 other chests of tea were 
consigned to the same person. The town immediately assem- 
bled, and Mr. Parry, in open town meeting, promised not to 
accept the tea or have anything to do with it, and the captain 
of the vessel agreed to send it at his own expense to Halifax. 
A committee was selected to see this done and faithfully 
attended to its duties. There was no other attempt to force 
the taxed tea upon an unwilling people who steadfastly kept 
their patriotic agreement concerning it. 

The king in council must have had serious apprehension of 
his colonists, for the next move on the part of the royal gov- 



eminent was to prohibit the exportation of gunpowder and 
military stores to America. 

When the news of this order arrived at Boston, Paul Revere 
made his first notable appearance in history. He rode a 
special trip to Portsmouth, carrying a copy of the order to the 
Sons of Liberty there. Upon its receipt they were much 
excited, and recognizing the danger to the colonists which it 
foreshadowed, decided at once that the public good demanded 
that they supply themselves with powder and stores to the full- 
est extent possible. They looked with envious eyes upon Fort 
William and Mary at the entrance to the harbor and noted the 
small garrison by which it was defended. They had heard 
that the troops there would be reinforced in a few days. 

The powder and guns in the fort were within their grasp, 
but to assault the fort and capture them would be high treason 
and probably precipitate a conflict which all prayed might be 
averted. On the one hand was the absolute necessity of the 
colonists in the event of an appeal to arms ; on the other their 
loyalty to the mother country, which they had uniformly 
asserted and wished to maintain, and the private and public 
danger which a hostile demonstration upon the fort necessarily 
involved. 

The hearts of the people stood still while duty wavered 
between loyalty and patriotism. The most thoughtful joined 
with excited patriots in discussing points of duty and questions 
of policy, the decision of which could not be postponed. The 
time for action seemed to have arrived. The necessity was 
great; the moment supreme. John Langdon, the patriot mer- 
chant of Portsmouth, proposed the immediate capture of the 
fort and the removal of its powder to places of safety, where 
in the possession of the patriots it would be available if 
required to defend the liberties of the colonies. As secretly as 
possible at first, but finally with avowed purpose, a sufficient 
force was organized which under the leadership of Langdon 
captured the fort without loss on either side. The garrison 
was overpowered and locked without arms in one of the rooms 
of the fort while more than a hundred barrels of gunpowder 
were removed. Late that evening the news of the capture 



10 

reached John SulUvan, who had just returned home from the 
Continental Congress. The next morning with several of his 
neighbors he marched to Portsmouth. That night he led an 
assault upon the fort and captured all the small arms it con- 
tained and 15 small cannon. 

The next day Nathaniel Folsom, our other delegate in the 
Continental Congress, arrived from Exeter with a considerable 
force and aided in removing the cannon to places of safety. 
All of these captures subsequently helped the patriots to secure 
their independence. Without some of them the battle of 
Bunker Hill would have been less glorious, and with more of 
them might have been a decided victory. 

This was the first act of armed hostility against the British 
crown by her colonists in America, and Sullivan and Folsom 
were the first of all the delegates in Congress to bear arms 
against their king. It antedated the fight at Lexington and 
Concord by more than four months and the battle of Bunker 
Hill by more than six months. Its consequences were moment- 
ous and far-reaching. A well-equipped and strong, though 
weakly garrisoned fort, over which the British flag had con- 
tinuously floated, was assaulted and captured, despoiled of 
much of its equipment, and its ofiicers and men imprisoned 
in their own defenses. There could not have been a more 
flagrant act of disloyalty or greater disrespect to the British 
flag. Sullivan was proclaimed a traitor, a reward offered for 
his capture, and himself informed from Canada that he would 
be the first one hung. He and his associates received the 
thanks of the colony by its convention assembled at Exeter, 
and everywhere throughout the colonies the bravery and suc- 
cess of the attack on the fort inspired the patriots with new 
zeal and greater courage and self-denial. 

At this time New Hampshire had only 82,200 inhabitants, 
and among them were few loyalists. Notwithstanding this 
small population our state furnished during the years from 
1775 to 1783 inclusive, 18,289 soldiers, of whom 12,497 were 
of the Continental line. No colony was more united in resist- 
ance to British oppression, or more willing to contribute its 
share to the common defense. 



11 

The War for Independence had actually begun, though no 
one knew it. Distrust was turning to hatred, and inaction was 
giving place to organization on the one hand and an increase 
of troops and supplies upon the other. The patriots watched 
every movement of the British forces and resolved to meet 
them by force whenever an armed attempt should be made to 
restrict their personal rights or to destroy their capacity for 
self-defense. Hence, when the lanterns, hung from the belfry 
of the North Church in Boston, started Paul Revere upon his 
most famous ride, he found the sturdy yeomanry of Lexington 
and Concord ready to defend their homes and protect the 
military supplies the British had come to capture or destroy, 
and when the news of their successful fight spread among the 
towns and to the several colonies, everywhere there was an 
approval of their heroic conduct and a determination to co- 
operate with them until resistance should bring a recognition 
of their private and public rights. 

The news of the conflict and that the blood of patriots had 
mingled with their chosen soil soon reached New Hampshire. 
No one waited for an official call to arms, but wherever the 
news came hearts beat quicker and sturdy men started to rein- 
force their brethren, and with them beleaguer the British army 
in Boston. Stark shut down his sawmill gate and jumping 
upon his horse rapidly rode toward Boston, calling the people 
to arms as he went. They knew him and had confidence in 
his leadership, and in a short time 2,000 New Hampshire men 
were encamped in Medford and Charlestown. They were 
organized by enlistment in regiments under the command of 
Stark and Reed, and in small numbers in various regiments of 
Massachusetts. 

The battle of Bunker Hill soon followed. It is strange and 
unfortunate that the exact number engaged .on either side of 
that memorable battle is not accurately known. Neither can 
it be stated with certainty how many men New Hampshire, 
Massachusetts and Connecticut had in the fight. This much 
is certain, that New Hampshire, under the leadership of Stark 
and Reed and in other commands, furnished at least one half 
of them. It is probable that the American force has been under- 



12 

estimated. It certainly has been, unless a considerable num- 
ber of Colonel Prescott's men who left at the suggestion of 
General Putnam before the fight began, to erect intrenchments 
on Bunker Hill (the battle being fought on Breed's Hill) failed 
to return. Bancroft says : " Of the large party who took the 
intrenching tools away few returned," and that Prescott had 
remaining with him "but about 700 or 800 men." It is now 
generally conceded that New Hampshire had fully 1,000 men 
engaged in the battle and some authorities claim that their 
number exceeded 1,900. The records of the War Department 
show that during 1775 New Hampshire furnished 2,824 sol- 
diers to the patriot cause. This fact and the equally well es- 
tablished one that about 2,000 New Hampshire men encamped 
in Charlestown, Medford and vicinity just before the battle in- 
dicate that our soldiers actually engaged in the fight were not 
less than 1,200 or 1,500 men. The New Hampshire troops 
fought with remarkable coolness and bravery, and retired in 
better order than any of the others. For that reason their loss 
was small in proportion to the whole number engaged, but more 
than forty of them died on the field of battle. 

Bunker Hill was not a victory. It was more. It was an 
inspiration, an example, a demonstration, a consummation. 
From that hour the American knew he could resist British 
aggression successfully. Independence, though not yet de- 
clared, was assured, and England had lost the brightest jewel 
in her colonial crown. 

The evacuation of Boston became a military necessity. The 
patriots occupied it and the war was transferred to New York 
and other colonies. Hesitation had departed. The stern 
realities of armed conflict had superseded doubt and confidence 
and hope ruled the hour. 

The New Hampshire troops under Sullivan, Stark and oth- 
ers, were ever at the front. No soldiers did better service. 
Sullivan won renown on many battlefields and closed a brilliant 
military career with the successful expedition against the Six 
Nations and their British allies, for which service he was 
selected by Washington, and thanked by him and by Con- 
gress. 



13 

Stark was as active as when he was a lieutenant of " The 
Rangers " and did excellent service, but others were promoted 
over him who were his inferiors in rank and less worthy as offi- 
cers. He protested but continued to serve. While the army 
was in winter quarters at Morristown in 1776-77 he returned 
home to obtain recruits, and by March, such was his popularity, 
his regiment was full and he reported to the state authorities at 
Exeter for instructions or suggestions for the public good. They 
informed him that Congress had made further promotions of 
junior officers and that he had received no recognition. He 
resigned his commission at once, saying an officer who will not 
maintain his rank is unworthy to serve his country. Though 
he refused to render personal service in a degraded position he 
remained faithful to the cause and urged his friends to enlist, 
and sent every member of his own family into the army who 
was old enough to bear arms. He counseled with the Com- 
mittee of Safety and urged the necessity for the reenforcement 
of Ticonderoga and the defense of the Northern frontier. His 
fears were soon realized. The early summer saw the invasion 
of the states and the retreat of the American army from Ticon- 
deroga. The way seemed about to open for a union of the 
armies of Generals Howe and Burgoyne, thus securing for the 
British uninterrupted communication from Canada to New 
York via Lakes Champlain and George and the Hudson River, 
and as a necessary result the separation of the states into two 
sections without the power to dislodge the armies which would 
keep them apart. A crisis was imminent. The danger could 
not be overestimated. The authorities of Vermont informed 
those of New Hampshire that unless assistance could come to 
them at once they should be compelled to yield as they were 
too feeble to resist successfully. 

The Legislature of New Hampshire was not in session but 
was summoned immediately. In three days they had assem- 
bled. The emergency was great, their resources were few. Our 
people had done all they could. The public credit was ex- 
hausted and it seemed imposssible to equip another regiment. 
In this emergency John Langdon, who led the first assault 
upon Fort William and Mary, being speaker of the House, 



14 

delivered that speech now so famous in which he pledged his 
private resources for the benefit of the state, and added, " We 
can raise a brigade, and our friend Stark, who so nobly sus- 
tained the honor of our 'arms at Bunker Hill, may safely be 
entrusted with the command, and we will check Burgoyne." 
His enthusiasm and faith pervaded the House. The necessary 
legislation was speedily enacted, a special messenger was dis- 
patched for Colonel Stark and he responded in person. He 
accepted the proposed command upon the condition that he 
should not be required to join the main army or be responsi- 
ble to any authority except that of New Hampshire, and was 
commissioned a brigadier-general by the state. 

A day of fasting and prayer was reverently observed. 

Col. Gordon Hutchins was the representative of Concord in 
the Legislature and as soon as the necessary legislation was 
completed mounted his horse and riding all night arrived in 
Concord on Sunday during the afternoon service. He walked 
up the aisle towards his pew while the pastor, Mr. Walker, was 
preaching. As soon as the preacher saw him he paused and 
said, "Colonel Hutchins, are you the bearer of any message?" 

"Yes, sir," replied the colonel. "General Burgoyne with his 
army is marching on Albany. General Stark will take the 
command of New Hampshire men, and, if all turn out we can 
cut off Burgoyne's march." Rev. Mr. Walker then said, "My 
hearers, those of you who are willing to go better leave at 
once." Whereupon every man in the meeting house went out 
and many enlisted before going home. One man said, "I can't 
go for I have no shoes." A shoemaker replied, "Don't worry 
about that, you shall have a pair before morning," and was as 
good as his word. It is said that two volunteers wore shoes 
which were made Sunday night. 

The militia officers were ordered to disarm all persons who 
made excuses or refused to aid in defending the country. 

The name of Stark and the necessity of the hour filled the 
people with enthusiasm. In a few days more men had enlisted 
than had been authorized. They reported for duty at Charles- 
town, N. H., and thence marched to Vermont. The details of 
the battle of Bennington are too well known to justify repeti- 



15 

tion here. The battle was hotly contested with an enemy 
skilfully intrenched upon chosen ground, yet after a conflict of 
two hours he was driven from his defenses with great loss and 
the battle won. The victory was complete. The British loss 
far exceeded that of the Americans and seven hundred and 
fifty prisoners were captured. Hastily enlisted and poorly 
equipped militia had met veteran troops, protected byintrench- 
ments, defended by artillery, and had defeated them at the 
point of the bayonet. 

About seventy per cent, of the Americans were from New 
Hampshire and the others were Green Mountain boys and vol- 
unteers from the Berkshire Hills. It is stated that one hun- 
dred and sixty-five of the New Hampshire men had fought at 
Bunker Hill. 

Stark's victory was opportune and decisive. It gave new 
hope and life to the people and courage to the army. An alli- 
ance with France became possible and the respect of the world 
was secured. Congress by public resolution thanked Stark 
and his troops and gave him the promotion so long delayed. 
Though he had stipulated for a separate command under state 
authority only and prior to the battle had refused to obey an 
order to report for duty under General Schuyler, Stark now 
joined his command to the Continental Army and did all he 
could to secure its success. Burgoyne was dispirited and har- 
assed on all sides. The defeat of Baum was an irreparable 
loss to him. The battles of Stillwater and the surrender of 
Burgoyne soon followed. These battles and the surrender at 
Saratoga have been known under the specific designation of 
Saratoga and as such have been classed among the decisive 
battles of the world. The event at Saratoga was the continua- 
tion of the campaign begun months before but the decisive 
battle was at Bennington. After that victory the others fol- 
lowed in the natural order of occurrence. Without it the others 
would have been impossible. 

Upon the evacuation of Boston by the British nearly all of 
the New Hampshire troops under Sullivan marched to New 
York and were engaged in the battles of Long Island and along 
the Hudson. When the campaign was transferred to New 



16 



Jersey the New Hampshire men commanded by General Sulli- 
van and Colonels Stark and Poor, two of the first three colonels 
appointed by our state, were conspicuous for energy and brav- 
ery. Just before the battle of Trenton Colonel Stark is report- 
ed to have said to General Washington, " Your men have long 
been accustomed to place dependence upon spades and pick- 
axes for safety. If you ever mean to establish the indepen- 
dence of the United States you must teach them to rely upon 
their firearms and their courage." It is said General Wash- 
ington promptly replied, "We are to move upon Trenton to- 
morrow and you are to command the right wing of the advance 
guard" and that Stark immediately answered, "I could not 
have been assigned to a more acceptable position." As a mat- 
ter of fact, the two divisions which won the battle of Trenton 
were under the immediate command of General Greene and 
General Sullivan. Washington was with General Greene and 
Stark with his regiment led the attack under General Sullivan. 
The victory was complete. The British surrendered as prison- 
ers of war. General Sullivan writing to Meshech Weare said 
of the New Hampshire troops, " General Washington calls them 
in front when the enemy are there; he sends them to the rear 
when the enemy threatens that way." Of course General 
Washington could have paid them no higher compliment than 
that. The battle of Princeton soon followed, and then the 
army marched to Morristov>rn, where log huts were erected and 
winter quarters established. The army remained at Morris- 
town until late in May, 1777. From that time until the Sep- 
tember following Washington and Howe were engaged in that 
series of movements which demonstrated the ability of Wash- 
ington as a tactician. His skill as a commander and his genius 
for military affairs were never more apparent. He won the 
applause of the greatest generals of his time. 

The battles of Brandywine and Germantown soon followed. 
Neither was a victory nor yet a defeat. The moral effect of 
the New Jersey campaign of 1777 was favorable to the patriot 
army and the year closed better than it began. The army 
went into winter quarters at Valley Forge. The New Hamp- 
shire men there were under the immediate command of General 



17 

Poor. Their fortitude in bearing the sufferings of that dread- 
ful winter need not be recounted. The pages of history 
record no greater heroism. 

Neither the British or American Army abandoned its winter 
quarters until past the middle of June. Then Clinton, v.-ho 
succeeded Howe in command of the British, moved out from 
Philadelphia, where they had had a comfortable winter enlivened 
by theatres and balls. Their ease and enjoyment was in 
marked contrast to the self-sacrifice and suffering of the pat- 
riots at Valley Forge. General Clinton was en route for New 
York. Experience had demonstrated that his army could be 
furnished with military stores and supplies at that port with 
less difficulty than elsewhere, and that, in view of the proposed 
transfer of the campaign to the Southern states, it would be 
difficult, if not impossible, to maintain an army of occupation 
at both cities. Washington was alert and quick in pursuit. He 
overtook the British near Monmouth. A battle ensued, in 
which neither army gained any decided advantage. The losses 
were about even. The New Hampshire troops were under the 
command of General Poor, and behaved splendidly. The Brit- 
ish continued their march to New York, and Washington estab- 
lished his headquarters at White Plains on the Hudson. 

The campaign in Rhode Island under General Sullivan soon 
followed, but was without decisive results. The next year 
General Sullivan led the expedition against the Six Nations of 
Indians, and General Poor commanded one of its brigades, 
which was composed of New Hampshire troops. The object 
of the expedition was accomplished and the power of the 
Indians broken. 

Except in the extreme South, the troops of New Hampshire 
were present upon every important battlefield of the Revolu- 
tion from Bunker Hill to Yorktown, and nowhere did they 
fail to do their full duty with discretion and bravery. New 
Hampshire furnished many soldiers beyond its actual quota, 
and met every demand for men and supplies with promptness 
and patriotism. This is the more creditable and inspiring as 
its population was small and its wealth still less. No sacrifice 
was too great to be freely offered upon the altar of liberty. 



18 

The sons of the Granite State may well be proud of the patri- 
otic blood and military renown they have inherited. 

The naval history of the Revolution is brief but brilliant. 
New Hampshire was active on the sea, and bore a very con- 
spicuous part in building and manning our extemporized navy. 
More than a dozen armed vessels acting as privateers sailed 
from Portsmouth and captured many British vessels. One of 
these privateers was named the Hampden^ a staunch ship of 
400 tons and 22 guns. She was a splendid sailer and carried 
a picked crew. After chasing a ship all night she came up to 
her and found she was an East Indiaman of about 800 tons 
and 34 guns. Although the enemy was so much superior in 
tonnage and guns, Captain Pickering of the Hainpden deter- 
mined to fight her. The action continued for two hours and a 
half at close range. Captain Pickering was killed, the three 
masts and bowsprit of the Hampden were disabled, her rigging 
and sails cut to pieces, her heavy shot expended and 20 of her 
men killed or wounded. She then reluctantly drew off, having 
only her foresail with which to get away. The Indiaman was 
a complete wreck, her masts, yards, sails and rigging cut to 
pieces, and her hull riddled. She undoubtedly found rest with 
her brave crew at the bottom of the ocean. Cooper calls this 
fight the severest fought naval battle of the Revolution. Other 
of these vessels were more successful, but none of them had 
braver crew or more daring captain. 

Of the regular navy the Raleig/i, of 32 guns, and the Ranger 
were built at Portsmouth. In 1777 John Paul Jones and a 
crew composed of New Hampshire men took the Ranger on its 
first cruise across the Atlantic to St. George's Channel, where 
two years later several captures were made, including the 
Drake, a British man-of-war. While under the command of 
Jones the Ra?iger received the first salute ever given the stars 
and stripes by a foreign nation. 

Later, with the help of the French, he secured a squadron 
of four vessels and made the Bon Homme Richard his flagship. 
To it he took many of the New Hampshire men who had done 
excellent service on the Ranger, and captured the Serapis of 44 
guns, which in conjunction with the Countess of Scarborough, of 



19 

28 guns, was convoying a fleet of forty merchantmen. The 
Cotififess was captured by the Pallas, one of Jones' squadron. 
The fight between the Bon Hotmne Richard and the Serapis has 
never been equaled in the history of naval warfare. The ves- 
sels soon closed, and from 7 o'clock in the evening until 10.30 
at night a hand-to-hand fight was carried on, in which about 
one half of the men on each ship were killed or wounded. 
Nothing can exceed the courage of Jones and his men. His 
victory was hailed with delight in France and the United 
States, and alarmed England. For the first time in genera- 
tions one of her warships had surrendered to an inferior ves- 
sel. Her prestige as a naval power was threatened by the ris- 
ing republic in the West, and soon the freedom of the seas 
would be accepted as international law. 

Fresh courage animated our people and the success of Jones 
and others on the ocean was an important factor in the contest 
for American freedom and independence. 

But however great and glorious the military and naval his- 
tory of New Hampshire, its record in civil affairs is no less 
brilliant and honorable. 

Many of the colonies were settled under the patronage of 
English chartered companies, by which they were promoted 
and sustained in the hope that they would become profit- 
able, either through their productions or by the enhanced 
price of land to be sold to later settlers. The settlement of 
Jamestown in Virginia, for instance, would have been aban- 
doned on several occasions but for timely aid from the home 
company. The settlement of New Hampshire was begun 
under the grant to Gorges and Mason and continued under 
the authority of Mason after they divided their joint territory 
in 1629, but the death of Mason six years later and the con- 
flict of title between him and the Massachusetts Company 
prevented further promoted colonization, and the subsequent 
growth of the colony was for many years exceedingly slow and 
unsatisfactory. During this period such settlers as acquired 
new homes from unoccupied lands did so by virtue of their 
occupancy and thus inaugurated in America the principles of 
"preemption" and "squatter sovereignty " which more than 



20 

two hundred years after so materially influenced the politics 
and prosperity of our people. When the boundary line between 
New Hampshire and Massachusetts was settled in 1740 and 
the heirs of Mason were decided to be the lawful owners of 
New Hampshire these settlers were much excited, fearing they 
might lose the lands to which they had no title except by pos- 
session, but their rights were respected and their occupancy 
made valid. 

In the early township grants, provision was made for public 
worship and for universal education. One section of each reg- 
ular subdivided township was assigned to the pastor of the 
church, one was set aside for the benefit of the church itself 
and one was reserved for the support of public schools. It 
was provided in the early laws of the province that each town 
of one hundred families should maintain a grammar school, in 
which the learned languages should be taught and youth pre- 
pared for the university. The foundations of the state were 
laid in piety and wisdom. Such statutory provisions and 
requirements could not fail to produce an independent, self- 
reliant and prosperous community, ready to assert and main- 
tain its individual and collective rights. So when Governor 
Wentworth in 1775, for the purpose of securing the election of 
some personal friends and a larger vote to sustain royal author- 
ity, issued writs of election to towns not previously authorized 
to send representatives to the assembly, and omitted to sum- 
mon towns of greater population, the assembly which met on 
the twelfth of June, as its first act unseated the members thus 
summoned. The governor immediately adjourned the assem- 
bly to the eleventh of July, One of those expelled, having crit- 
icized the action of the assembly too freely, was assaulted on 
the street and sought protection in the governor's house at 
Portsmouth. The people demanded him and the governor 
refused to give him up, whereupon they brought a mounted 
gun to the governor's door threatening to discharge it if he 
was not delivered, and repeated their demand, when he was 
surrendered. The governor thought himself insulted and 
retired to the fort. By his authority fishing boats were pre- 
vented from going out of the river to the ocean for fish under 



21 

the pretense that the act in restraint of trade so required. In 
retaliation his boats were not permitted to come to town for 
provisions and one of them was fired upon by a guard stationed 
to prevent their landing. The boat returned the fire but no 
one was injured. 

On the eleventh of July the governor sent a message to the 
assembly adjourning it to the twenty-eighth of September and 
on the twenty-fourth of August took passage for Boston, return- 
ing to the Isles of Shoals to further adjourn the assembly to 
April, 1776. This was his last visit to the colony of which he 
was governor. Upon his return to Boston kingly power ceased 
in New Hampshire. 

The people had not failed to notice the inevitable trend of 
public affairs — neither were they inactive. One hundred and 
two towns represented by one hundred and thirty-three dele- 
gates had met in convention in May, 1775, and had promptly 
taken action in behalf of the people. They were in session about 
six months and during that time they established post-oflfices, 
appointed a committee on supplies for the army and elected a 
Committee of Safety which after the fiight of Governor Went- 
worth was the real executive power of the colony. They also 
ordered the royal secretary to deliver liis records to the secre- 
tary they had elected, which he did, and they were removed to 
Exeter, where the convention was assembled. Upon like direc- 
tion the old treasurer of the province surrendered the funds in his 
hands amounting to iJ"i ,5 1 6 to Nicholas Oilman, the new treasurer 
and for many years the financier of the people. Many other royal 
commissions were revoked and when necessary new appoint- 
ments were made. The courts were closed and the old magis- 
trates were no longer obeyed or respected. It was the duty of 
the Committee of Safety to provide for all emergencies, to fill 
vacancies occasioned by changes in the form of government or 
otherwise and to see that the government and the people suf- 
fered no harm. In fact, it was the executive power of the col- 
ony or state when the Legislature was not in session and was 
influential in all matters of legislation. Meshech Weare was 
its chairman from January, 1776, until it was discontinued in 
1782, having been elected eighteen times. That the committee 



22 

was patriotic and efficient needs no demonstration. The name 
of Weare is in itself ample proof. That name was a tower of 
strength and no one is more honored in our history. 

As early as May 28, 1774, the House of Representatives 
selected a committee with its speaker as chairman to corres- 
pond with like committees of "sister colonies" as occasion 
might require. 

This committee soon issued a call to the several towns to 
elect delegates to meet at Exeter on the twenty-first day of 
July, 1774. Eighty-five delegates assembled in response to 
this call and are known as the first Provincial Congress. Four 
other congresses of like selection and authority were subse- 
quently chosen. The call for the election of the fifth 
and last Provincial Congress urged a full representation 
of the people and that they authorize their delegates to 
"establish such a form of government as in their judgment 
will best produce the happiness of the people and most 
effectually secure peace and good order in the province 
during the continuance of the present dispute between Great 
Britain and the Colonies." This congress assembled Decem- 
ber 21, 1775, at Exeter and adopted a temporary constitution 
on the fifth of January, 1776, which was the first written con- 
stitution of any of the colonies providing for representative 
popular government of the people by themselves. 

This constitution is introduced by a preamble, in which the 
necessity for their action is set forth in part as follows : 

" The sudden and abrupt departure of his Excellency John 
Wentworth, Esq., our late Governor, and several of the Coun- 
cil leaving us destitute of legislation ; and no executive courts 
being open to punish criminal offenders, whereby the lives and 
properties of the honest people of this colony are liable to the 
machinations and evil designs of wicked men ; Therefore for 
the preservation of peace and good order and for the security 
of the lives and properties of the inhabitants of this colony, 
we conceive ourselves reduced to the necessity of establishing 
a form of government to continue during the present unhappy 
and unnatural contest with Great Britain." 

This was followed by the assertion that they never sought 



LofC. 



to throw off their dependence upon Great Britain while they 
could enjoy their constitutional rights and privileges, and that 
they would rejoice in a proper reconciliation. 

They then provided tv>r an Upper House called the Council, 
to consist of " twelve persons, being reputable freeholders and 
inhabitants within this colony," to be elected from its several 
counties according to their respective population, and further 
provided " That no act or resolve shall be valid and put into 
execution unless agreed to and passed by both branches of the 
Legislature. That all public officers for the said colony and 
■each county for the current year be appointed by the Council 
and Assembly, except the several clerks of the Executive 
'Courts, who shall be appointed by the Justices of the respec- 
tive Courts. 

"That all bills, resolves or votes for raising, levying and 
collecting money originate in the House of Representatives. 

"That at any session of the Council and Assembly neither 
branch shall adjourn for any longer time than from Saturday 
till the next Monday without consent of the other." 

The government was fully organized in all of its branches 
by the Provincial Congress in pursuance of the authority vested 
in it by the people under the call issued for its election, but 
these patriots had no desire to perpetuate their power except 
for the usual period under the customary sanctions, hence they 
specifically provided if " the present unhappy dispute with 
Great Britain should continue longer than this present year" 
or the continuance of the established government in its sev- 
eral branches and for the election of nearly all of its necessary 
officers by the people. This constitution remained the organic 
act of the state until it was superseded by the constitution of 
1784. Meanwhile there had been several constitutions framed 
and submitted to the people, but they rejected each of them. 

The constitution of January 5, 1776, was proclaimed to the 
people by Meshech Weare, who had been elected president of 
the Council. His proclamation required that every person 
conform to it or "be decreed inimical to their country," and 
closed by an appeal to every one while " our enemies are 
watching all opportunities to ensnare and divide us, to strive 



24 

to prevent and, if possible, to quell all appearance of party 
spirit, to cultivate and promote peace, union and good order 
and by all means in their power to discourage profaneness, 
immorality and injustice." 

Events in those days were momentous and taught grave les- 
sons. As we have seen, New Hampshire as late as January, 
1776, when the constitution just described was adopted, hoped 
for reconciliation with Great Britain, and therefore provided 
for a temporary government only. A feeling of independence 
and the purpose to exercise and maintain it rapidly increased. 
Grievances produced irritation, and irritation bitterness, and 
bitterness hatred, and hatred resistance, which culminated in 
independence. 

The Continental Congress of 1774 appointed a committee 
to draft a declaration of rights and a committee to prepare a 
statement of grievances. John Sullivan, one of the delegates 
from New Hampshire, was the first named member of each 
committee. On this subject John Adams wrote in his diary 
as follows : 

"The Committee of Violation of Rights reported a set of 
articles which were drawn by Mr. John Sullivan of New Hamp- 
shire ; and those two declarations, the one of rights and the 
other of violations, which are printed in the Journals of Con- 
gress for 1774, were two years afterwards recapitulated in the 
Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July, 1776." 

As John Adams was one of the committee which drafted the 
Declaration of Independence, his statement should be conclu- 
sive. No one can read the documents of 1774 without noticing 
that the declaration of 1776 is similar in tone and sentiment. 

The first definite action in New Hampshire for its declara- 
tion was taken by its House of Representatives, or Assembly, 
as it was then called, in May, 1775, by an official letter to the 
Continental Congress, in which it recommended a Declaration 
of Independence. No action appears to have been taken 
upon this suggestion other than the documents already men- 
tioned, and therefore the next year, June 11, 1776, it passed a 
resolution for the appointment of a committee, with such as 
the Council might join, " to make a draft of a declaration of 



25 

this General Assembly for independence of the United States 
on Great Britain." Their action was approved by the Council 
on the same day, and four days later their joint committee 
reported a draft of a declaration of independence, which was 
unanimously adopted, in which the delegates in the Continen- 
tal Congress from New Hampshire were irtstructed " to join 
Avith the other colonies in declaring the thirteen United Colo- 
nies a free and independent State, solemnly pledging our faith 
and honor that we will, on our parts, support the measure with 
•our lives and fortunes," and further authorized the Continental 
Congress to "form such alHances as they may judge most con- 
ducive to the present safety and future advantage of these 
American Colonies : Provided, the regulation of our internal 
policy be under the direction of our own Assembly." 

It is noted here that while the intention to unite with the 
other colonies for the purpose of securing and maintaining 
independence and as a necessary corollary a union for national 
government is clearly expressed and unqualified in itself, that 
special care is exercised to preserve local self-government in 
all matters not essential to national life. It is a happy coinci- 
dence that the Legislature of New Hampshire appointed its 
-committee to draft its declaration of independence upon the 
same day that the Continental Congress authorized Thomas 
Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman 
and Robert B. Livingston to prepare the National Declaration 
of Independence ; that the preamble of each is based upon 
like grievances, and that the result recommended by each com- 
mittee is the same. 

It is worthy of note also that the delegates from New Hamp- 
shire signed the Declaration before they had received the 
instructions of their Legislature to give it their approval and 
support. It is evident that the voice of New Hampshire was 
potent in these deliberations. 

Therefore, when a month later the National Declaration of 
Independence was received by President Weare at Exeter and 
publicly read by John Taylor Gilman, it was greeted with 
■enthusiasm, and all felt that a new nation was born which 
would maintain freedom and justice in the world. 



26 



In a few days it was proclaimed in each of the shire towns of 
the colony at the tap of the drum and everywhere met the ap- 
proval of the people who made good the declaration of their 
Legislature that they would support it with their lives and for- 
tunes. 

On September 19, 1776, the National Congress resolved 
that the designation " United Colonies " should be discontin- 
ued and that the new nation should henceforth be known as- 
" The United States." Upon the receipt of this resolution 
New Hampshire adopted the new name and style and became 
a sovereign state. 

In the formation and adoption of the Federal Constitution 
New Hampshire bore a worthy part. No state was represented 
in the Constitutional Convention by better men than John 
Langdon and Nicholas Oilman. Others were more prominent 
in discussion and more tenacious for personal triumph, but no 
delegation was more united for the establishment of a firm 
government which would preserve the nationality and freedom 
acquired by valor. Their names will endure and be honored 
so long as fidelity and patriotism are revered and constitutional 
.free government is the hope and pride of men. 

The people of New Hampshire ratified the Constitution by a 
decisive vote and completing the requisite number of states 
made it operative throughout the land. Joy reigned. The 
hope of all who believed in personal rights and free government 
was realized and the oppressed in every nation took fresh cour- 
age. Ever since the world has marched with light step toward 
the time when men everywhere shall govern themselves in the 
name of justice. 

The subsequent history of New Hampshire fully sustains the 
high and honorable standard established in Colonial and Revo- 
lutionary times. In all patriotic, moral, educational, progressive 
and other noble aims and purposes the Granite State maintains 
her proud record. 

In closing, permit me to recapitulate a few of the many just 
claims New Hampshire has to a high rank in the patriotic his- 
tory of the struggling colonies which became states. 

First. New Hampshire was the first colony to suggest a 



27 

Declaration of Independence. As early as May, 1775, the 
Provincial Assembly of New Hampshire addressed the Conti- 
nental Congress officially on that subject. 

Second. New Hampshire was the first colony to permanently 
rid herself of a governor appointed by the crown. 

Third. New Hampshire was the first colony to establish 
independent self-government upon a constitutional basis. 

Fourth. New Hampshire was the first to commit an overt 
hostile act against the military power of Great Britain, to as- 
sault a fort in possession of His Majesty's troops, to compel 
them to surrender and to capture and remove the military sup- 
plies and equipments of her king. This was done not to repulse 
an attack made by the British but was of itself an original 
attack upon His Majesty's troops in garrison, who were inac- 
tive and not hostile except through loyalty to their king. More- 
over, it antedated the Declaration of Independence by more 
than a year and a half. 

Fifth. New Hampshire supplied more than one half of all the 
American troops engaged in the battle of Bunker Hill — the 
first hotly contested battle of the Revolution. 

Sixth. New Hampshire furnished two thirds of all the troops 
under Stark at the battle of Bennington. His victory there 
culminated in the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga and was 
the decisive battle of the war for independence. 

Seventh. New Hampshire, after 1777, issued no bills for 
currency and in 1781 returned to coin payments. A record 
unsurpassed in the history of other states. 

Eighth. New Hampshire in times of great anxiety and doubt 
ratified the Federal Constitution by a decided majority and 
being the ninth state to do so gave life to the Federal govern- 
ment and made perpetual the liberty won in battle. 

Such is a brief and imperfect statement of some of the brave 
deeds and wise acts of a small but patriotic state. It is a record 
of which every son of New Hampshire and every lover of hero- 
ism and genius everywhere may be proud and from which all 
may learn wisdom, patriotism and devotion. 



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